photography

SACRED & PROFANE in Religious Festivals, Southern ITALY.

On the night of Holy Thursday, many religious festivals between sacred & profane take place in Southern Italy.
Some of these rituals, like the "Battienti" of Verbicaro in Calabria, date back to 1473.
The "Battenti" start to slap their legs with the "cardillo". At night they go round the village three times stopping in front of the seven churches, where they are not allowed to enter. Outside here they start beating themself much harder, leaving an offer of blood on the steps of the churches.
Email me